I
t’s a punchy move to name anything “icon” — the very act of doing so usually means it’s the total opposite — but then this is no ordinary ship.
The gargantuan Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s newest and glossiest addition to the fleet, weighs more than 250,000 tonnes and will carry over 7,500 passengers when it sets sail from Miami in January. That’s more than three times the population of St David’s in Wales, the UK’s smallest city, and almost as many as reside in the City of London. It’s also five times bigger than the Titanic, which apparently is so diminutive in comparison that it could park up in one of Icon’s seven pools. Speaking of pools: Icon will have the world’s biggest waterpark at sea, an infinity pool and more than 40 restaurants and bars. Naturally there’s also a surf simulator, a climbing wall and the tallest waterfall at sea. Sounds mega, right? But as CGI images were released this week, there was enough snark on Twitter to sink the proverbial.
“A monstrosity,” one sneered. “A bloated, floating birthday cake,” another said. I sniggered at one: a comparison of Dante’s eight circles of hell to Icon’s nineteen decks (I imagine Dante would have plenty to say about gluttony and greed). I get it. The ship looks exhausting, exhilarating and the ultimate only-for-extroverts experience. I should know: I spent seven days on the world’s (current) biggest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas. It’ll surprise nobody when I say I absolutely loved it.